During World War II, some of the greatest living filmmakers put aside their commercial aspirations and directed propaganda films for the Allies. Frank Capra, Alfred Hitchcock, Howard Hawks, John Ford, John Huston – they all made a cinematic contribution to the war effort. (More on that here.) And so did Walt Disney, big time. 90% of Disney employees produced propaganda films for the American government, creating 68 hours of continuous film, including this short film for the Treasury Department. The Spirit of '43 puts Donald Duck in the always unenviable position of asking Americans to pay high taxes to fund their wars. (Imagine doing that today!) Some 26 million Americans viewed the short film, and apparently 37% of those interviewed in a Gallup poll later admitted that the film affected their willingness to pay Uncle Sam. You can find this Disney film and other wartime propaganda films (among other goodies) in our collection, 1,150 Free Movies Online: Great Classics, Indies, Noir, Westerns, etc..

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Open Culture editor Dan Colman scours the web for the best educational media. He finds the free courses and audio books you need, the language lessons & movies you want, and plenty of enlightenment in between.